The Four-Leaf Clovers
by Kashu
Summary: On a perfect, bright day in early summer of 1981, Sirius Black proposed to Arielle Mane, his girlfriend he'd lived with together for years, four months before he got sent to Azkaban on a false charge. It was the magic of the four-leaf clovers that protected the separated couple. (This story goes following what happens in HP5.)
1. Prologue: The Proposal

Summer was coming; it should have been a bit later that the sun would scorch. On the perfect, bright day in early summer, the sun warmly shines on everything on the earth.

The story begins by seashore in Britain. The sandy beach was shining with the lapping waves, and sea breeze was comfortable.

Suddenly, a woman appeared on the shining beach without any signs, as if she sprang out from the sand. Sea breeze blew her honey-brown hair. She opened her arms wide and breathed deeply toward the broad sea—this beach was her favourite place.  
Her clothes must be strange. Her light-blue robe was also blown by the breeze. She put off and threw away her shoes, and socks, too. She ran into the shore. Cool waves tickled her bare feet.  
Both the sky and the sea were blue and broad. She took a deep breath and smelt slightly salty. She was standing with her eyes closed, looked dignified and chaste.

"Hey, you did again?"  
It was a black-haired man who picked her shoes. He also appeared suddenly and was wearing a thin robe. His front hair fell into his eyes at an indescribable angle—this must be what we call "handsome."  
"Arielle!"  
"Sirius! You've just come here? So late."  
Arielle ran up to Sirius. He hugged her tightly—Arielle's shoes were again thrown away. He kissed her forehead, and she blushed.  
"You did throw them again?"  
"I've come to the beach!"  
Arielle shrieked and hopped merrily as if she'd become a 5-year-old girl. Sirius smiled at her.  
"You haven't changed much, really…"  
"Oh, do I need to change?"  
Lily is worrying about you so much—Sirius scratched his head with a little serious look, but Arielle didn't see.  
"Sorry, I always make you wait for me. I've just carried out the Order's mission…"  
"You always say such. James told me you overslept or dozed off. Sixty percent of the cases you come late."  
"Sixty…percent? James did say a quite realistic number…"  
As Sirius muttered, Arielle was putting off her cheeks. He pushed her cheeks gently and deflated them. He liked to change the topic.  
"Arielle, did you know fields of clovers spread out over there?"  
"I didn't," replied Arielle curtly.  
"Why don't we find out a four-leaf clover? There are so many, we'll find one or two."  
What did you say? You came late for a date!—Arielle got amazed. I can't put up with you—even so, she decided to accept his suggest—it should be good for a change.  
"Okay, Sirius. Let's go."  
"Let me take your hand, my love."  
_Why is the loving one's hand so warm—?_ They walked hand in hand.

"I did it!"  
Sirius got upset to hear so. Arielle was dashing to him in the fields of clovers.  
"Too—too early. Only thirty minutes have gone…"  
"It's nice, isn't it?" Arielle played with the four-leaf clover she'd found, in front of Sirius' face. She boastfully laughed at his sullen look, which made her a perfect tease. Then, an idea came to his mind.  
"Arielle?"  
"What's wrong, Sirius?"  
"Why don't we exchange the clovers we find each other?"  
_W—what?_  
Arielle was getting upset with this selfish man. Of course, she didn't come to dislike him—she thought him appealing.  
"You're just feeling mortified as I found one earlier, aren't you?"  
Her cold gaze stuck him. He turned his eyes away for a moment—she'd guessed right. He nearly quailed at her eyes, but soon regained his confidence.  
"No, no. If I give you what I find and you give me what you find, it sounds like a present."  
Well done, well done—his excuse admired her.  
"Then…just a minute."  
Arielle turned her back and began to put her spell on the four-leaf clover she'd found. Sirius gazed at her back thinking tenderly of her.  
"You won't find any clovers on my back."  
"I know."  
"You got mortified, didn't you?"  
You won't be able to get up—I'll teach you a lesson—As Sirius made such a decision, Arielle turn her head towards him.  
She pinned the clover onto the lapel.  
"Wow! A lapel pin!"  
"If you make light of my magic,"  
"I'll be in trouble. Yeah, you always say."  
_You know that well_—Arielle smiled.

They'd been going to London for shopping. Now the sun shines in the west, bathing the sea in red light.  
The sun was setting. Arielle had been lying sleeping soundly on the clovers.  
"You'll get sunburned, Arielle."  
"Too sleepy…"  
Of course Sirius had told her not, but she hadn't cared. She'd had sandwiches for lunch, lain to enjoy cool grass, and fallen asleep.  
"Charming…"  
Sirius smoothed her hair down. He was still looking for a four-leaf clover.

"You'd have slept enough. Get up."  
"What, Sirius? I've already found one—"  
The setting sun shined her, and the dazzling sunlight blinded her eyes. She didn't open them yet.  
"Still half asleep? The sun is setting!"  
"The sun setting? What time—?"  
"You woke up at last. Hey, Arielle, let's go to the shore."  
What happened? Why was I sleeping here?—Arielle was still confused, but Sirius took no notice of her. He led her by the hand. He was holding something in the other hand that glittered with sunshine.  
As they stood by the shore, the sun was sinking below the horizon. The clouds and the sun made the sky the colour we can't call either red or purple.  
"It's beautiful, Sirius."  
Arielle was enchanted by the scenery.  
"It can't be compared with your smile."  
"Oh, it's too much!"  
She smiled in embarrassment. With a serious look she'd never seen, Sirius looked into her face. She was perplexed to see his grey eyes.  
He moved his arms around her shoulders. She was adorned with a necklace. A four-leaf clover was glittered with sunshine.  
"Will you marry me?"  
It was the most unaffected words Arielle had ever heard. Sirius kept his eyes on her, and vowed to her deep-blue eyes.  
"I will protect you."  
Even though her eyes got moist and brimming with tears, she did keep her eyes on him.  
"I chose you, Arielle Mane… Never care about such a trifling thing."  
She couldn't find any words. She nodded him yes many times. She threw herself into his arms, and shed tears of joy. How happy—he told me never to care even about that.  
They exchanged kisses, like they etched themselves into each other.

The madder red sky was watching over the couple.

* * *

My first work in English (I worry about the case my English is strange). The original version (written in Japanese) is on my own website too...  
This story will be 20 chapters or so, I guess.

Anyway thank you for reading my work :) —Kashu


	2. The New Patronus

Fourteen years have passed since Arielle accepted Sirius's proposal.

Arielle Mane had been packing for a journey on a broomstick for more than 6,000 miles, with sighs in her room. She was ordered home, to Britain, for the first time in fourteen years. She peeled a poster of her favourite Quidditch team, Toyohashi Tengu, off the wall with a sigh again. She wanted to watch one more game—even if it would result burning their broomsticks after their defeat (Toyohashi Tengu was internationally well-known because of this old-fashioned, wood-wasting custom).  
She'd never returned to Britain since she was been sent to Far East, Japan, as a member of the goodwill mission—she still stayed there as a professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and had taught it to the young wizards and witches in a Japanese magic school.  
She knew it was due to Barty Crouch's intention. He was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement fourteen years ago. She heard he'd passed away several weeks before, but she felt nothing for his death; she still felt bitter about him. He relegated her to the Department of International Cooperation and sent to Japan, even though she was an Auror outstanding enough to arrest his son, Barty Crouch Junior, who was a Death Eater. In a while, Crouch himself was demoted to the same Department too—she thought it served him right.

Arielle began to read again some letters she'd received in few weeks. One of them was a letter of appointment—Arielle was being called back, going to be an Auror again in August. In the bottom of the letter, there was the signature of Cornelius Fudge—the current Minister. He'd been Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes when Arielle met him for the last time—she couldn't forget his face either. He was involved in her last work as an Auror. Another piece of parchment which was attached to the letter said: "This personnel transfer hasn't been announced publicly."  
She wondered and got upset at the same time when she received the letter—Japanese schools start in April, which meant she needed to leave the school she was working for in the summer holidays, halfway a school year. She'd managed to find a proper successor, and now, was preparing to restart her career as an Auror again.  
Arielle began reading the second letter—from an Auror who worked with her as a colleague. Kingsley Shacklebolt said in his letter—

_ Dear Lioness Arielle,  
__I've just heard you are being called back. I'm so happy to hear the news.  
__As I told you before, I'm in charge of the hunt for Sirius Black, excuse me for mentioning his name—_

Arielle stopped reading here. Sirius Black—yes, he'd been her fiancé. He was still her fiancé more likely; she didn't ever remember breaking off the engagement. What separated them was his betrayal of her close friends, Lily and James Potter. He was the Secret-Keeper, the only one who could tell where they lived, and sold them to Voldemort. What's worse, he killed twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, who was a close friend of them, too.  
Arielle sighed again to see the name. Arielle was one of the wizards and witches involved with his arrest—

It was few days after Halloween—only four months after Sirius's proposal.  
Arielle had received the terrible news from Sirius—James and Lily were killed—but somehow their only son, Harry, survived and Voldemort had gone. Arielle was at Auror Office. Some of the Death Eaters were eager to find where their Master was, and doing anything terrible indiscriminately. Aurors were receiving reports of the evildoing one after another. She was firmly determined to sweep anywhere of the Death Eaters.  
Arielle had one thing she couldn't understand. Sirius had written to her, _"I'm pursuing Peter."_ The Secret-Keeper was Sirius—_why is he pursuing Peter?_—thought Arielle. She never dreamed that he would sell them to Voldemort.

"Arielle, come with us, we need your help. Lots of Muggles seem killed. The murderer is still—"  
Arielle stood up before Fudge concluded his words. She was one of only few Aurors who was at Office then; others were pursuing hiding Death Eaters and she'd just returned to the Office after a failure in catching them. She put her hand into the pocket of her robe and made sure she had her wand, and then took some small bottles of potions in it. She followed him and other trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol.

It was a dreadful sight. There were a crater in the middle of the street, Muggles screaming, bodies everywhere in heaps, a few fragments—the biggest one was a finger—and a man standing there laughing—he must be the murderer—  
Hit Wizards and Arielle aimed their wands at him; she was right behind him. The next moment—she could hardly believe her own eyes.

"Arielle!"

The man looked behind, and called her name. Everyone got shocked. The laughing murderer was none other than Sirius, Arielle's fiancé.  
Arielle felt her temperature falling as though covered with ice. She couldn't feel blood circulate through her body. Sirius was the betrayer.  
No more explanation needed. It was a servant of Lord Voldemort who proposed to me—Arielle was so heartbroken. The dreadful sight and his laughter were printed in her mind.

Few days later Sirius was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Azkaban without a trial—it was not the end of the story. Wizengamot—Bartemius Crouch Senior himself, more likely—summoned Arielle to a hearing.

"Did you know Sirius Black was a Death Eater?" said Crouch.  
"No, I didn't. I still believe he can't be one," replied Arielle. "He did hate his family with pure-blood mania—that's why he ran away from home when he was sixteen—"  
"But you _went_ to the spot and saw _who_ killed the twelve Muggles and Peter Pettigrew, didn't you?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Then you must have no doubt that Black was a Death Eater," Crouch looked Arielle suspiciously. "You were the one who took Black, weren't you?"  
"Yes, sir. But—"  
"But what?" snapped Crouch.  
"I suppose he _doesn't_ have a Dark Mark, anywhere on his body," said Arielle calmly. "—as far as I know. We've lived together for four years—since each of us ran away from home—to be precise, a year after we did, though—I mean, after we came of age."  
"Ran away—live together—even being pupils—even before marriage—" Arielle felt Crouch murmured, but she wasn't sure.  
"A Dark Mark can be concealed," said Crouch sharply.  
"Of course, it can."  
"Then—did you know Severus Snape—your cousin on your mother's side—was a Death Eater?"  
"I hadn't—" said Arielle. "—since I heard he'd _turned_ to our side."  
It was neither a truth nor a lie. Arielle actually _knew_ he'd been becoming one, but she didn't want to believe.  
"How about your friend, Remus Lupin? He's registered as a werewolf."  
"He never takes part in the Dark Side! He never helps them in any shape or form! You all discriminate against werewolves so that more and more are joining the Dark Side—in the hope they'd have a better life! Don't you see that?"

Arielle was now putting away photos in frames. The last photo of her with her family was taken twenty-four years ago, on her eleventh birthday. She wrapped it with her clothes not to break the grass of the frame, and put it into her trunk.  
Arielle found something that should have been behind the gold frame. She knew what it was; she had completely forgotten about it. It was a photo album bound in leather. Arielle opened it—for the first time in fourteen years.  
A photo of a young boy and a girl was on the first page with a note in Arielle's handwriting—"When we first met, on 3 February 1971." Both he and she in the photo were waving their hands to Arielle—they were Sirius and Arielle of around eleven. There was a note in a different handwriting too—"I fell in love with Arielle at first sight."  
Arielle browsed the album. In the photo on the next page, Sirius and Arielle were in Hogsmeade. "The first date, on 9 April 1977, Arielle's 17th birthday"—written in Sirius's handwriting. She'd completely forgotten—_we went out on the first date on my birthday._ Arielle stopped browsing at the third page from the last one. Sirius and Arielle on a beach, with a lapel pin on his robe and a necklace on her chest. "Proposed at the usual beach, on 18 June 1981," written in Sirius's; "The happiest day, we are truly going to share a life," written in Arielle's.  
Arielle touched the four-leaf clover on her chest, as though her hands had been led by it. In fact, she'd never taken it off for several years—

Arielle left for Britain at the night of 23 July, riding on her broomstick, wearing goggles and a cloak. Her belongings were only a broomstick, Cleansweep Six, and an old, large trunk. It should have been a journey for a week and a half. She flew to the west.  
She went through Asia on a flying carpet she bought from a good-natured merchant, who reminded her of her own late father, and sold it in Turkey. She knew flying carpets were illegal in Great Britain but had liked to use one sometime.  
She spent the ninth night in France—her homeland was just over there. And then she received a new letter from Fudge. He said he liked to meet her the next evening—it was not impossible if she left there before dawn—and she immediately wrote him back with a favourable answer. She went to bed earlier in the evening.  
She didn't know yet what would happen after crossing the Straight of Dover.

It was when Arielle was flying over the estuary of the Thames that she first realised something strange. She hovered feeling it. The air suddenly became chilly. Stars, Moon, and the lights below her, all got turned off. The next moment, Arielle realised what all those meant—_they are coming_. She felt about in a pocket of the robe for a wand.  
"_Expecto Patronum!_"  
Only a feeble wisp of silver smoke drifted from her wand. And then she heard them coming nearer, drawing rattling breaths. _Happy memories, happy memories—_she said to herself.

_"Will you marry me?"_—her fiancé's grey eyes shone by the setting sun—it was the first thing burst clearly into her mind—_"I will protect you"_—

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

She conjured a Patronus at last—but it was not what she'd expected. She couldn't believe her own eyes for a moment.  
Her Patronus had been a lion—the same as her late father's; she'd just conjured a _silver dog_.  
"Protect me, Sirius," said Arielle automatically. The silver dog ran around guarding her.  
Dementors passed by. She flew after them. They were heading straight somewhere—as though they'd ordered to attack someone. Some of the Dementors had left Azkaban—she had no idea what it meant.  
As Arielle overtook them, they'd been attacking two boys in an alleyway—one of them was trying to conjure a Patronus; the other was nearly 'kissed.'  
"Get it!" yelled Arielle to the silver dog. At the same moment, a silver stag appeared and ran to the 'kissing' one.  
Now all the Dementors are thrown away by two Patronuses. The stag ran through the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist; Arielle's silver dog came and stood by her.  
Arielle saw the face of the boy who conjured the stag. She got amazed. Even beyond her goggles, she could see his green eyes well; she knew whose eyes they were. _This is their son_—  
"Are you all right?" Arielle asked to him.  
"Yes, but—" replied the boy, looking at the other boy. "—my cousin is a Muggle—"  
Arielle took big steps to see his cousin. She saw him shocked, but he hadn't been kissed.  
"He should be okay, just got shocked—" then Arielle heard someone—a human—a Muggle—coming. She was still holding a broomstick with her trunk—it might have been her own turn to be charged with violating the International Statute of Secrecy.  
"Sorry, but I need to go now. I'll surely report this to the Ministry—"  
Arielle took her broomsticks and flew into the night sky, which regained stars and Moon. Streetlights were back now, too. Then she wondered why she didn't use Disapparition. Ministry of Magic was close enough to do it safely.

Arielle saw her new Patronus—a dog—and muttered to it.

"I still seem to love you, don't I?"

She sped her old Cleansweep to London. The silver dog was still running, and guarding her.


	3. The Witch Sirius Ever Loves

Sirius and Harry, Sirius's godson, were waiting for dinner, talking about the Dementors' attack. Sirius had escaped from Azkaban two years ago, and now, was hiding in Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place—the Black family's house. Since his mother died, it has belonged to Sirius, the last Black left. And this place was now, the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. It's the secret society founded by Albus Dumbledore. It's the people who fought against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters last time. Sirius was also one of them.  
"A witch—came by a broomstick?"  
"Yeah, and she saved me and Dudley, my cousin. Her Patronus was a dog, I think."  
"I—we—don't know who she was," said Sirius. "Did she _certainly_ save you?"  
"I'm sure so," replied Harry. "She seemed only to have passed by—and travelled long—she was wearing goggles and a cloak—and the trunk was quite large—"  
Sirius looked perplexed.  
"So, I mean—I doubted whether it was she who set the Dementors on you, but she seems not... Anyway, it's a really important point, Harry. Can a witch accidentally passed by there—in Little Whinging?"  
Sirius was completely amazed to hear the story of a witch with her Patronus, a silver dog. Considering of what he heard at the Order's meetings, he thought nobody knew the witch who saved Harry and his cousin with a Patronus—

"Yes, I couldn't protect even _her_, either—" whispered Sirius sadly, gazing after a red-haired plump woman going out of the kitchen. After dinner he had a quarrel with her—whether the Order should give information to Harry. Of course he tried not to show his feelings, but he did get deeply hurt to hear what she, Molly Weasley, said—"—it's been rather difficult for you to look after him, or, to care for _her_—while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"  
"I think, personally, she said too much to you, especially mentioning about _her_," said a balding, bright red-haired man, Molly's husband. "Sorry, Sirius."  
"Don't apologise, Arthur. She's right," said Sirius distressfully.  
"She seems to have died long before, doesn't she?"  
"We have no particular idea, but I'm afraid... she seems so." said a young witch with a bubblegum pink hair. "We can see she'd relegated to the Ministry of International Cooperation, er—as you already know. But we have no information why she is _not_ there _now_."  
"Barty Crouch did," said Arthur. "He took it out on her, Mad-Eye Junior. It was she who caught his son—"  
"Nonsense, I mean—he summoned her to a hearing after you were sent to Azkaban—" said a wizard with a light-brown hair. "So, you seemed to have doubted her as well as me—"  
"Yes, Remus—I'm so sorry. I didn't told her we'd changed the Secret-Keeper. You know about her cousin—the only one of her relatives, who joined the Dark Side, I mean—I thought she'd helped him in any form, or, got forced to do so. I feel such a fool. But she spoke for me—'he didn't have a Dark Mark, anywhere on his body.' my love..." Sirius sighed. "It must be the only, biggest, and last thing she could say for me."  
Everyone turned silent. In fact, nobody at the table knew why she'd disappeared from even the Department of International Cooperation. The young witch was the first who opened her mouth.  
"Sirius,"  
"What, Tonks?" Sirius replied.  
"Mad-Eye is _still_ looking for her," said Tonks. "Only he seems to believe we need to know how she spent the rest of her life, er—and Kingsley seems to help him."  
"Mad-Eye always thinks of her special. Kingsley was her best colleague." Sirius said in a quiet voice.  
"But why?" asked a tall, young wizard with red hair. It was Bill, the eldest son of Arthur and Molly.  
"Why? Ah, I see, you'd been too young to know what happened to the Manes," said Sirius. "Because of the worst and last tragedy Mad-Eye had faced. She was the only survivor—he could save only her."  
"So she owed her life to him." Bill looked now satisfied.  
"He'd got angry to hear she was becoming an Auror, I heard so from her long ago," said Sirius. "But it's also true she was an outstanding, talented Auror—they two filled one third of Azkaban together. I feel like I can understand why—why Mad-Eye got angry. She'd managed to survive the tragedy, and Mad-Eye did like her as though she was his own daughter. But—she disappeared after her fiancé got sent to Azkaban. There's only one reason possible—the Death Eaters might have killed her, or—"  
The door of the kitchen opened, and Molly Weasley returned. She went her children's bedroom to see, or hear, them in bed and sleeping.  
"What were you talking about?"  
"About _her_," replied Sirius through clenched teeth. "About my _dead_ fiancée, whom you mentioned, thankfully."

In the afternoon of the next day, Sirius was in the drawing room, looking up the Black family tree. He sighed to see a burn next to the name of Regulus, his brother who died about fifteen years ago.  
"In my opinion, Kreacher, the House of Black is _not_ noble and the most ancient. I know one tapestry handed down for few more centuries than this. You must know the answer—but yes, one of your _greatest_ mistresses did ruin it..."  
"M—mister! You mean the house of the blood-traitors! My poor mistress, nothing had disappointed her more!"  
"Shut up, Kreacher! Go away!"  
Kreacher, the old, ugly house-elf serving the Black family, couldn't defy his own master, and went out saying all the complaints he had. Sirius was gazing after him with rancour. A look of sorrow—than anger—appeared on Sirius's face.  
Sirius began to tell Harry about the Black family. Behind them, Ron and Hermione, Harry's close friends were listening to their conversation. Fred, George, and Ginny, who are Ron's siblings, were also interested in what they were speaking. They'd been getting rid of Doxy in the drawing room, but everyone seemed to forget what they were doing.  
"As I turned to be seventeen, I began to live by myself—No, soon I shared the flat with someone. Uncle Alphard left me much Galleons—I'd lived with my girlfriend for years—happily."  
Sirius added some words at last, in self-deprecation. Harry realised something, but hesitated to ask whether his idea was right.  
"Lunch," said Molly's voice. She brought sandwiches and cakes on a huge tray for lunch.  
"...Well, I might remain on the tapestry—if I hadn't run away—but—my dear mother didn't like the Mane family, so the same result might have fallen."  
"Sirius, may I ask you a question?"  
Harry was sure his idea was right.  
"Anything is okay,"  
Sirius said so, but he looked as though he was going to receive a death sentence.  
"S—Sirius, I haven't heard so—but, but—did you have—a wife?"  
Molly, her children, and Hermione said nothing. Ron got choked.  
Sirius kept silent for a moment, too. And he made up his mind to say.  
"No, I didn't, Harry. But—I did propose to the girlfriend I'd lived with for years–_'her'_ Molly mentioned yesterday. It was a few months before I got imprisoned to Azkaban."  
Sirius heaved a great sigh. The drawing room seemed to get even much quieter.  
"Look at this," Sirius pointed at something like a pin on his robe. It was a four-leaf clover. Though the robe has got tattered during imprisonment in Azkaban and escape from there, it had been shining mysteriously as well as fourteen years ago. "We'd exchanged four-leaf clovers on that day."  
Sirius breathed another sigh and continued. "Arielle Mane—she was elegant, beautiful, and mild. Unlike me, she knew being loved by her family. I always felt comfortable when next to her... She loved me. And I—still love her. After graduating Hogwarts, she became an Auror—an outstanding Auror. Kingsley nicknamed her 'Lioness.' Yeah, she fought bravely, or manly, like a lion starting the game—I've run down by her once, only once—scary, I was so scared."  
Sirius smiled in disgust, missing her.  
"She was the last living one—of the Manes. The Manes were all talented, quite wealthy family—her father was an amusing merchant, her great-aunt was a popular fashion designer—and—many more, anyway." said Sirius quietly. "Voldemort and the Death Eaters might have directed their attention to their talents, maybe wealth too. But the Manes, one of the oldest pure-blood families, decided to take Dumbledore's side—and, the whole family, except Arielle, the twenty-eight people, was murdered by the Death-Eaters on Arielle's eleventh birthday. They attacked her birthday party held at Manes' house, when all the relatives gathering. It's said it was a warning for the future to others—what would happen if we resist them. It was the first tragedy the organized Death Eaters carried out."  
Sirius took out some photos from his robe and handed them to Harry. There was a happy couple, Arielle and Sirius, in every photo. Sirius looked much more handsome than now. Harry fixed his eyes on the woman next to Sirius. He'd seen her in a photo, too; she was next to Lily Potter in the photo taken at his parents' wedding.

But he thought—_was it really the last time I saw her?_ He felt as if he'd met her recently.

The twins—Fred and George were looking at Harry with a wistful look. Harry made an eye contact with Sirius—and passed the photos to them. They said 'Thanks.' to Sirius, and saw the photos. The other four, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Molly also saw them with their heads together.  
"Anyway—she survived the tragedy. She played hide-and-seek against the Death-Eaters, Harry. Before they find the youngest daughter of the Manes hiding in a barrel filled with potion, plenty of Aurors and Hit Wizards—as many as, or, more than the Death-Eaters—arrived at the Manes' manor. ...And, one of the Death-Eaters was—this."

Sirius pointed at the name on the tapestry—Bellatrix Black.

"It was the debut of my dear cousin," said Sirius. "Her Master praised her for killing Arielle's mother and sisters? Or, she got punished because they couldn't slay off all the Manes?"  
Sirius raised his voice in anger, and clenched his fist, glaring at the name.  
"W—why doesn't the Order ask her to join it?" asked Harry reservedly.  
Sirius just smiled sadly, and he opened his mouth.  
"After I was sent to Azkaban," Sirius sighed again. "—she was summoned to a hearing."  
"How come?" Harry got surprised.  
"Because her fiancé turned to be a murderer, and, her cousin was once suspected of being a Death-Eater... Barty Crouch Senior, as I told you before, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at that time, treated her harshly. It was she who caught Barty Crouch Junior... and he, Crouch Senior, seemed to think he could clear his name... if Arielle turned out to do something _for_ the Dark Side. Of course, she was innocent, but Crouch relegated Arielle Mane to the Department of International Cooperation—saying he thought highly of her linguistic ability—yeah, she was quite good at any foreign languages, probably being a merchant's daughter... But soon she disappeared even from the Department. Nobody knows why... Even _Daily Prophet_ didn't mention it—Crouch must have put pressure on them. Foolish idiot—many of the people knew her better as the only survivor of the Manes' tragedy...or, Mad-Eye Junior, who was a young, outstanding Auror. Later Crouch was demoted there himself... It's said Crouch and some high officials had something with her disappearance—but I think—"  
"You think—?" Harry looked up his godfather's, agonized face.

Sirius answered nothing. He drooped his shoulders, sighed once again, and went out of the room.


	4. Wizengamot

"What d'you reckon?"  
"So—you mean—"  
"I think he'd say 'She's dead.'"  
Ron, Harry, and Hermione were talking before going to bed. They worked for cleaning this house all day, and at last they could talk together after dinner, never to let either Molly or Sirius overhear.  
Ron and Harry were quite surprised that Hermione's words didn't sound reservedly.  
"His fiancée is really dead?" said Ron in lower voice.  
"Don't you both remember what Fudge spoke, indeed?" said Hermione. "I've just remembered we've all heard of her!"  
"What? When—?" asked Harry. He had no idea.  
"When you came to Hogsmeade without permission, two years ago," replied Hermione. "In the Three Broomsticks. Fudge was there talking about her. "  
It seemed that both Ron and Harry had remembered what Hermione was saying at last. Cornelius Fudge visited the Three Broomsticks on the last weekend before Christmas two years ago. And then Harry knew Sirius was his father's close friend and his godfather.

"Poor thing, I couldn't even talk to her—you remember who Black's fiancée was—?"  
"The only survivor of the Manes' tragedy, isn't she, Minister? Arielle Mane and Sirius Black—I thought as if they'd made for each other!"  
"Yes, Rosmerta, m'dear. She became an Auror—brave, outstanding, tough one... It was _I_ who asked her to help—I have no excuse—she was going to take her own fiancée... She looked as though she'd lost any hope. Absolutely. She lost most of her family at eleven—and what's worse, her fiancé had stayed in touch with You-Know-Who—"

"Yeah, Fudge said she took Sirius, didn't he?" said Harry. "And he said—"

"After Black escaped from Azkaban, we searched the house they'd live together—they were going to marry in the _next_ weekend... I was invited too to the wedding... because I'd known her dad for years—"  
"_Witch Weekly_ said they were getting the booked pair of rings on that day..."  
"Yes... Anyway, it seemed all the furniture left there... And, she engraved message on the wooden front door—_'I'm going far away, always waiting for you, love, Arielle.' _She hinted—"

"He said—'She hinted she might kill herself,'" gasped Ron with fear. "So did Sirius go to the house saw the note, eh?"  
"I think he didn't," said Hermione. "He headed for Hogwarts straight to catch Wormtail! And—would she really kill herself? A _brave, outstanding, tough _Auror would commit _suicide_?" Hermione knitted her eyebrows. "Does it mean she'd be waiting for Sirius in _the other world_?"  
"Most of her family was _murdered_," said Harry, doubtfully too. "Even if she failed to find her fiancé out— was it all her fault?"  
"It's too much to take blame by _dying_," said Ron. "Sounds fishy, doesn't it?"  
"You three, stop talking," Molly was coming to check them, but they hadn't noticed. "Bed, soon!"

On the morning of twelfth August, Arielle Mane woke up _alive_ in one room of the inn of Leaky Calderon. She'd stayed in London for nearly two weeks, but never tried to find where to live—she'd somehow felt she didn't want to, quite satisfied with staying there—it was enough pleasant for her to speak or hear her mother tongue English from day to night. She sipped oatmeal for breakfast, quickly prepared for work, and at seven, she left for Ministry of Magic by Apparition.

The previous day, she'd gotten surrounded by some reporters for _Daily Prophet_ waiting for her as soon as she arrived there. Arielle's transfer had just been announced; they'd been eager to interview Arielle Mane, who returned as an Auror again. And, what's more, she'd been designated to a new member of Wizengamot, filling a vacancy created by Albus Dumbledore's resignation. It was very incomprehensible for her, and then she remembered her transfer had been long told as a mysterious affair for years.

"I'm so glad to have returned to Britain," answered Arielle briefly to their questions. "An Auror—it's the job I chose at age of sixteen."  
"Are you going to hunt Sirius Black, who was your fiancé?" Impertinently, reporters for Witch Weekly asked Arielle. The staff of the Ministry, probably some of Fudge's assistants tried to take Arielle, but she also answered their questions briefly, too.

Today, luckily, nobody was waiting for her (but she thought they'd come later again, after their readers make some response to the articles about her.) Arielle walked straight to Auror Office. She'd brought her belongings yesterday but hadn't tidied yet.  
"Morning, Arielle," said a slow, deep voice. It was a tall, black wizard named Kingsley Shacklebolt, who'd been Arielle's best colleague.  
"Oh, good morning, Kingsley," said Arielle. "I did miss everyone at Auror Office, really."  
"Again, I'm so glad that you returned as an Auror," said Kingsley. "Have you got your room here? I thought you'd returned few weeks before—"  
"It took a bit more to return here, to Auror Office," replied Arielle in a low voice. "I—and Minister, too, had a problem with something... Anyway, I need to tidy my room..."  
"I'll help you a bit, and I'd like words with you, too."  
Arielle and Kingsley went into her room. Books, instruments, photos in frames, and a rolled tapestry— it seemed half of all her belongings were there. Arielle aimed her wand at the tapestry, then to the wall; it was now displayed on the wall. Kingsley walked to the wall and saw it. Arielle pointed a name on it; it was the family tree of the Manes.  
"This is me," whispered Arielle, pointing at the bottom of the tapestry. Her name and birthday was embroidered with a golden thread on the very deep blue cloth. Kingsley gave a glance through the bottom of the family tree. He found more than two dozen people died on the same day.  
"I'd like you to read this," Kingsley found about in the pocket of his robe and took out a small piece of parchment.

_Dear Arielle,  
__Kingsley told me you've been called back as an Auror. So glad to hear so.  
__I need words with you as soon as possible. If you're OK, I'd like to meet you at Hog's Head in Hogsmeade tomorrow evening. If not, tell so to Kingsley. We can arrange again.  
__Best Regards,  
__Alastor Moody_

"Could you tell him 'OK'?" whispered Arielle, though she wasn't know sure whether she was free tomorrow evening; she just liked to meet 'Mad-Eye' Moody, one of the people she'd missed for years. Kingsley just nodded, and began to help her with tidying her room.

Arielle wondered what Mad-Eye was telling her. _Does he really know the real reason Fudge had called me back?_—she thought she'd be on the right track. If so, he was trying to _warn_ her. Actually, she was vaguely aware of something unnatural. Dumbledore's resignation, her own transfer, and Fudge's behaviour towards her—basically, he was indulgent to her—but when Arielle surely told him about the Dementors' attack against two boys a week ago, he almost ignored her report.  
As they finished tidying her room, all her books were put onto an old bookshelf, her Cleansweep Six leaned against the wall, and the wall was papered with the posters of her favourite Quidditch Team, Toyohashi Tengu and Falmouth Falcons. The family tree tapestry was next to the posters on the wall, closer to her desk. And next to it, an old front page of_ Daily Prophet was_ put up—_"BIRTHDAY PARTY TRAGEDY: Twenty-Eight Manes Found Murdered; Youngest Daughter Survived."  
_Arielle put a gold photo frame onto her desk and opened a small wardrobe.  
"Wizengamot is convened?" He asked her dubiously from behind. He saw her taking out a plum-coloured robe.  
"Yes, but I don't know what the case is—" Arielle lowered her voice. "Fudge suddenly decided to convene us. He hasn't told us a lot about it..." She shrugged her shoulders. "Anyway, thanks a lot, Kingsley. I need to change my robe."

Twenty minutes to eight, she had already worn the plum-coloured robe embroidered with a silver letter _W_ to attend a disciplinary hearing as a member of Wizengamot. Then she heard someone knocking the wall of her room.  
"Arielle, I'd like to introduce Arthur Weasley to you." Arielle heard Kingsley's voice.  
"Please come in." She stood up putting the latest _Daily Prophet_ she was reading onto her desk.  
Arthur Weasley was a red-haired, balding wizard. And next to him—Arielle felt her heart beat faster—there was a boy with untidy jet-black hair and green, almond-shaped eyes. As he was wearing round-rimmed glasses, he just looked like one of her late friends.  
"Weasley, this is the Auror recently called back from Japan, Arielle Mane. Yes, you know, she _is_ the _famous_ Mane. She's also hunting for Sirius Black as you guess... Arielle, this is Arthur Weasley, Head of Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. I've asked him for information on his old motorbike—"  
Arielle and Arthur shook their hands. And she saw the boy next to him.  
"Oh, Mr Potter, nice to meet you _again_," said Arielle. She got thrilled to her own godson's face and cracked a smile.  
"Er—n—nice to meet you, too, M—Madam Mane."  
Arielle and Harry also shook their hands. She was a little perplexed because he seemed to get so amazed to see her. She just thought she might have squeezed his hands too much. Then, something on his chest attracted her attention. "Harry Potter, Disciplinary Hearing"—_Never_, thought Arielle. _Can he really commit a crime?_ She got confused just as when she saw her fiancé have killed a dozen people. _ Maybe_—she opened her eyes wide—_is he going to be tried by the full court?_

"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth August, into offences committed—"  
As Arielle heard Fudge's voice ringing, she was pondering what was happening to her godson, Harry, and what Cornelius Fudge was doing. According to their brief conversation, Fudge seemed to send an owl to Harry to tell the time had been changed just before Wizengamot gathered at Courtroom Ten—so he should have been late.  
"—under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery—"  
_Wait_–Arielle muttered to herself, looking at Fudge's back. She was sitting behind the three interrogators: Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, and Fudge himself. She remembered what happened to her on the night of the second August, when heading for the Ministry by her broomstick. The silver stag was his. _Is he charged for conjuring a Patronus?  
_"Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Arielle felt again her heart beat faster. He was one of people she'd missed, too. But Dumbledore didn't smile as he used to or she'd known. He looked just calm, striding serenely across the room.  
Arielle was at a loss for a moment whether to stand up as witness for the defence, but she decided not to do yet. Somehow, she was now sure that Harry was being in a great trouble and Fudge was plotting someone's downfall: Dumbledore's or Harry's, or, of both of them.

Actually Harry had another witness; Arabella Doreen Figg was a Squib living close to where Harry lives. She should have been the person she'd heard approach when she helped Harry with her own Patronus.  
Mrs Figg was allowed to go and the door was shut with a thud. Fudge opened his mouth.  
"Not a very convincing witness," said Fudge in a lofty voice.  
"There was another witch—" Harry opened his mouth. "She conjured a Patronus and saved me and my cousin!" He raised his voice. "Her Patronus was a dog! She came by a broomstick!"  
"A witch?" said Fudge with contempt. "A witch just _happening_ to pass by and come across Dementors? In a Muggle suburb?"  
Arielle felt herself suddenly filled with anger unknowingly to hear his words. _I did told you_—thought Arielle. And she thought it's time to cry out.  
She closed her eyes, and pictured his grey eyes for a moment.  
"_Expecto Patronum!_"  
This time, too, she saw a silver dog running onto the floor from the bench. The silver dog stood by the seat of the accused. All eyes were now on where the dog came from. Arielle stood up and snap her fingers. She didn't wear the plum-coloured robe anymore; she was now wearing a deep-blue robe like her eyes. She stepped down from the bench elegantly to stand by her Patronus. She turned behind and looked up Fudge.  
"It was me," said Arielle calmly. "—who conjured the silver dog he mentioned." The members of Wizengamot suddenly began whispering. "As I told you on the night, sir. I did told you I'd encountered at least two Dementors."  
Arielle managed to hide her anger against Fudge. She didn't know how provoking it was that Fudge had ignored her report. She tried to continue just calmly and quietly.  
Fudge completely got amazed; his eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. On the right side of him, Dolores Umbridge was blinking three times as many as she usually did.  
"Then, boy," said Amelia Bones, in a booming voice. "Is this Patronus what you saw?"  
"Yes," said Harry. Then, Madam Bones turned to Arielle. Before she opened her mouth, Arielle said clearly to the bench.  
"I'd like to witness for the accused—"

"Full name?" said Fudge. He now managed to compose himself.  
"Arielle Eileen Mane," replied Arielle calmly, looking him up straight. She was sitting on a simple, wooden chair she conjured by a flick of her wand, and put her fingertips together on her lap.  
"Begin."  
"On the night of the second August," said Arielle in a slow, but clear voice. "—I was heading for the Ministry to confer with you, Minister, as you'd requested with an owl I received the previous night at the inn near Orleans."  
"Yes, I did." His voice sounded much calmer, though he looked unsatisfied. "I sent you a letter and soon received affirmation."  
"On the way to London, I saw something strange—at first, I thought black bags blown by the wind—"  
Arielle was now closing her eyes as though imagining what she saw again on the inside of her eyelids.  
"As I approach them, I realised they weren't. I smelled rotten and h—heard—the sound. The sound of rattling breaths, you know." Her voice became trembling.  
"I felt—as though all happiness had gone. E—everything went cold, chilly, and all the lights died. I remembered terrible things—when my family was killed, when I was dying, when I took my own fiancé..."  
Arielle opened her eyes and looked up Fudge on the bench. Her eyes looked as though protuberant; tears sprang to them. Now her hands were strangely twitching.  
"W—what the Dementors did?" Even Madam Bones seemed to lose her calmness.  
"I conjured a Patronus, yes, this silver dog. Dementors passed by and headed for somewhere as if they'd ordered to do so. I completely forgot where I was—I flew after them. When I overtook them, they were attacking two boys in an alleyway. I've just known in this court the two boys were Harry Potter and his cousin—Harry was moving back to run, b—but—his cousin was... nearly... k—'kissed'..."  
The last words made several members, including Fudge, hold their breaths for a moment. Even Harry knitted his eyebrows.  
"Harry tried twice but only a silver smoke drifted. I yelled to my Patronus—then he did conjure a silver stag, and his and mine threw them away together. And I sped up my broomstick to report this to you, Minister."  
"... And you told me," said Fudge curtly.  
"Yes, sir." She gave a cold reply, too.

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" As the whispering of Wizengamot stopped, Madam Bones said in a booming voice. More than half of them, including Amelia Bones, raised their hands in the air—Arielle got satisfied to see that, and slightly smiled.  
"And those in favour of conviction?" Fudge, Umbridge, and other several wizards and witches did. As she saw Fudge did, her doubt changed to a conviction; he was trying to discredit both Harry and Dumbledore.  
"... Cleared all charges," said Fudge never to see Arielle's face. She touched the wooden chair to disappear it, and left the courtroom with her long thick hair blown like a lion's mane. The silver dog ran after and got ahead of her to escort.

"What will Mad-Eye tell me tomorrow?"  
Arielle murmured to herself with excitement, looking forward to meeting him three times as much as before the hearing.

She didn't know yet—that her fiancé was no more a Death Eater than she was.


	5. In the Hog's Head

_"LIONESS" ARIELLE MANE RETURNED HOME  
To Fill a Vacancy at Wizengamot_

"Oh, Merlin...!" Sirius opened his eyes wide to see the banner headline on the front page. Harry had been cleared of all charges, and dropped at Grimmauld Place by Arthur going to Bethnal Green. Harry handed Sirius the latest Daily Prophet at lunch.  
"Kingsley gave it to us," said Arthur from behind them. "—when I met him at Auror Office. We both met her there, Sirius. The woman you chose—lovely and elegant... Oh, Molly, I just praised his fiancée...!"  
Molly, who was preparing lunch for Harry, looked Arthur reproachfully. But Sirius seemed not to hear their conversation at all. His eyes fastened on the article.  
There was Arielle's photo inserted. She, in the monochrome photo, was smiling warmly and waving her hand to Sirius, and, the necklace of the four-leaf clover was shining on her chest. He stared at her face for a while and then, began to read the article.

_Arielle Mane, also known as 'Lioness' or 'Mad-Eye Junior,' had returned to Britain as a Senior Auror on the night of the second August, the spokeswizard of the Ministry announced last night. She fills a vacancy at Wizengamot created by Albus Dumbledore's resignation.  
After You-Know-Who fell, she had been transferred to the Department of International Cooperation and sent to Japan as a member of goodwill mission. She stayed there as a Professor of Defence Against Dark Arts at a Japanese wizarding school for fourteen years.  
Mane answered our interview briefly. "I'm so glad to return to Britain," said Mane, wearing a smile. "An Auror—it's the job I chose at the age of sixteen. I need a rehab to fight, I guess. I haven't used even 'Expelliamus' out of the classroom. I was a teacher who hadn't fought for years."  
It was the first time her transfer to Japan was officially announced. Her returning was also made public nearly two weeks after she actually returned. Some suppose she was called back to hunt Sirius Black, at large for two years, but her task was not defined.  
Arielle Mane is well known as the only survivor of the Manes' tragedy happened on ninth April twenty-four years ago, her own eleventh birthday. Twenty-eight Manes and relatives gathering at the birthday party found murdered and Arielle survived by hiding in a barrel in a cellar—_

"She's—she's still alive," said Sirius in a tearful voice. "I—I thought she'd already—d—died..."  
His grey eyes got moist with tears. He saw Harry's face and opened his mouth.  
"You met her, too, didn't you?"  
"Yes, and—she helped me with coping with the hearing! She spoke for me, she told them she'd met Dementors," replied Harry with excitement. "She was the witch who saved me on that night," Harry gave him a broad smile. "She happened to come across the Dementors on the way to London... And the Patronus! Her Patronus was a dog, see? It's you!"  
"Oh, yes..., yes." Sirius managed to say few words. Of course, he realised her Patronus hadn't been a dog, but a lion. However, it was not a serious question for him. He was just happy to hear her Patronus was a dog, which meant she was more or less, still, caring him.  
"Sirius..., look!" Harry noticed something written above the headline. The note looked like just a scribble. He didn't know whose handwriting it was, but he could easily guess it should be Kingsley's.

_Rejoining us tomorrow evening_

The next day Arielle stopped work earlier and Apparate to Hogsmeade. She walked through the high street. The scenery reminded her of a lot of memories.  
The Hog's Head was as shady as it was in her Hogwarts years. She had neither gotten near nor entered there. _Why here?_—doubted Arielle. As far as she knew, he would never choose the pub to have a talk secretly.  
She stepped into the pub. It was a dirty, dingy room filled with rough wooden tables and chairs. It smelled strange, too. She chose the table by a window she expected to see Hogwarts Castle through. The window was so filthy that she couldn't see anything thorough it.  
There were also some people at the bar; all of them were hiding their faces behind something like a veil.  
"_Tergeo_," Arielle flicked her wand. Now she could see the blurred shape of Hogwarts.  
"What?" Arielle heard a grunt from behind. The barman was an old, grumpy-looking man with a great deal of grey hair and beard. He looked as though a dusty Albus Dumbledore. Surprisingly, she thought she'd met him before but she couldn't remember when.  
"Firewhiskey, please," said Arielle. "I'd like the biggest bottle, if you have."  
"Biggest bottle? You tippler..."  
The barman took out the 'biggest' bottle below the bar. She flicked her wand again; there was a glass with a delicate relief. The next flick filled it with some cubes of ice.  
Then, she heard a distinctive clucking footsteps approach. She turned her head, and as soon as she saw who was coming, she sprang up from her seat.  
"Ah, ah—Mad-Eye!"  
'Mad-Eye' Moody's magical eye had been watching around. Arielle was all smiles and almost threw herself into his arms. Instead of hugging her, Mad-Eye held out his hand to her. Arielle and Mad-Eye shook their hands.  
"Eight Sickles," the barman returned and banged the bottle of Firebolt Whisky against the table. "And what?" The barman said to Mad-Eye.  
"One Butterbeer," replied Mad-Eye. "I'll get them."  
"Ten Sickles, then," the barman again grunted.  
She realised Mad-Eye got a little older, but his looks hadn't changed so much; his face was covered with scars and a chunk of his nose missing—she suddenly remembered how he'd lost most of his nose—and what happened to her then. A shadow passed over her face.  
Mad-Eye received a bottle of Butterbeer and gave silvers to the barman. He pushed the bottle toward Arielle without any words and drank from his personal silver flask. She giggled to see that, opening her bottle of whiskey. She poured it to the brim of the glass and drained it with one gulp. She felt her throat burned.  
"Happy to meet you again," said Mad-Eye looking at Arielle with his both normal and magical eyes. She was looking outside through the window. "Getting lost in thought, eh?"  
"I've long missed Hogwarts," she gave an absent-minded answer, still looking over there. "Not only Hogwarts. I missed everyone—everyone here."  
"Some realised 'Mad-Eye Junior' disappeared," he drank from his flask again. "—but nobody looked for you—because everyone knew Crouch did," he began spinning the magical eye. "He didn't want to work with you. Now he's dead. So—Fudge did call you back to _spy_ us." Mad-Eye said strongly, to her surprise, he didn't lower his voice at all.  
"To spy _you_?" Arielle put her glass on the table. "Why?" she leaned forward to wait for his next words.  
Arielle realised Fudge was discrediting Dumbledore—if he really wanted her to spy Dumbledore and his followers—_Dumbledore and his followers_—an idea came to her mind but she wasn't sure whether it was right. Arielle asked Mad-Eye in a low voice.  
"Well..., Mad-Eye, why did you ask me to come _here_?" Arielle had a number of questions. "You'd like have a talk with me _secretly_, wouldn't you?"  
"Yes, of course, Arielle." Mad-Eye's voice sounded satisfied. "I haven't gotten dotty yet to take Fudge seriously. And, this place was the best as far as I know unless you've been followed by someone."  
Arielle quickly turned her head unknowingly. There were several wizards or witches hiding their faces and the barman drying a glass with a dirty cloth.  
"Don't worry, my eyes haven't seen anything unpleasant," now his both eyes looked at her. "Potter was lucky enough to have a witness Fudge couldn't ignore," Mad-Eye was probably all smiles, but his face looked only twisted with too many scars. "And your new Patronus, pleasant... pleasant."  
"Who told you about my new Patronus?" asked Arielle at once, but Mad-Eye ignored.  
"You like living here again? I heard you still stayed in the inn of Leaky Calderon."  
"Yes, of course, Mad-Eye. I'd liked to meet you, too. But—" Arielle lowered her voice. "Fudge's made me so busy... he asks a lot to me. And—he said he'd wanted me to fill the vacancy of Dumbledore at Wizengamot. Why did he resign? Fudge pushed him to do?" Arielle said impatiently.  
Mad-Eye again made a smile with satisfaction.  
"I'm so relieved to see you are what I knew... Yes, Fudge is scared of Dumbledore."  
"Why?" Her jaw dropped.  
"'Cause Fudge's thought Dumbledore is recruiting his own army to defeat him... Actually his idea was not too wrong, though. Yes, Dumbledore wants warriors who know people holding the power often get mad. See? Kingsley and I have asked recruiting _you_, Arielle Mane _'the Lioness'_!"  
"So you mean Fudge's gotten mad?"  
"Yes,"  
"He's discrediting Dumbledore?"  
"More than discrediting, Arielle. It'd take so much for Dumbledore to get imprisoned, the worst case we can imagine."  
"He'd get _imprisoned_?"  
"He can if he continues defying." Mad-Eye spun his magical eye once and said. "But Dumbledore's recruiting to fight against Voldemort, not Fudge."  
Arielle was holding out her hand to the glass, but stopped. _Voldemort?  
_"He's _back_?" she knitted her eyebrows.  
"Yes, but Fudge doesn't believe," he snorted. "Potter witnessed his return with his eyes and soon told to Dumbledore... Arielle, to tell the truth, I was packed in my trunk for nine months—by Crouch Junior. He'd escaped from Azkaban—"  
Mad-Eye told her briefly what happened to Harry and how Voldemort succeed to return.  
"So—Fudge decided not to believe he'd returned—"  
"Yes, you now see how terrible, eh?"  
Arielle shut her mouth. She came to hate the power itself. She asked him her next question.  
"I heard it was you who'd tempted Crouch to send me to Japan as professor."  
"Oh yes," Mad-Eye admitted. "Let me say it was for you, Arielle. I'd liked you stay in a quiet place... to protect you until we need to call back. You remember what _Witch Weekly_ wrote about you?"  
"I know it exists to be sold well," she smiled bitterly to hear the magazine's name. "But thank you, Mad-Eye. I did enjoy teaching there... I was... deserted, doubted, and my fiancé was a murderer and got imprisoned, and you know..." She poured her glass with whiskey, and gulped.

"... I won't last so long,"

He didn't know what to say.  
"In our side, nobody wants you to die so easily," he looked at her with both eyes again. "Anyway, you are still alive. You'd thank me. You'll get so relieved to be alive from the bottom of your heart."  
"Oh, I always thank you. You'd trained me so strictly," said Arielle ironically; she'd get amazed to hear his next words.

"Listen, Arielle, Sirius Black is innocent."  
"W—what?"  
"Your fiancé is innocent." Mad-Eye repeated seriously.

"He is—innocent?" Her jaw again dropped.  
"No kidding," Arielle said so, but she liked to depend on his words. Her hands touched the necklace of the four-leaf clover on her chest as though they'd led by it.  
"Oh, he has a similar one, doesn't he?"  
"Y—yes. D—did you meet him?"  
"Oh, oh, Arielle. He gave over his late mother's house to the Order of the Phoenix."  
"The Order of the Phoenix..." Arielle heaved a sigh. "So... the Order harbours him?"  
"Yes, but he won't like to hear he's 'harboured,'" said Mad-Eye quite seriously. "You're a valuable potential. We want you to rejoin us as soon as possible."  
"Yes, Mad-Eye, right now."  
"You want to meet him again?"  
"I—I miss him so much." Arielle took a deep breath.  
"Of course, I heard he'd escaped there. Nobody knew where he ran. I never thought he'd tried to find me, but—I got quite surprised to hear he was hunting Harry. I didn't completely believe he was serving for the Dark Side."  
Arielle drank whiskey again. It didn't burn her throat; she felt herself warmed to the core of her body. _Fourteen years passed since we got separated—will he hold me as he did? Does he still love me? And—will he accept what I've never told him for fourteen years?  
_"Then, Arielle, I ask you again. Would you rejoin the Order of the Phoenix again?"

"Yes, of course, Mad-Eye," replied Arielle strongly.

Suddenly, the wizards and witches in the pub removed their veils and stood up and walked up to them, as though Arielle's reply was the sign. She sprang up took few steps back, but as soon as she saw who they were, her smile broadened. They were all the original member of the Order—but soon she realised a young witch she'd saw a few times at the Ministry.  
"Hello, Arielle. Long time no see!"  
It was the man Arielle knew the best. Remus Lupin cracked a smile and hugged her as though she got swallowed into his arms.  
"Remus, are you all right?" asked Arielle in a tearful voice. He looked as though he'd got old two times faster than she did.  
"So-so. Anyway, I release you because I don't want to get scolded by someone you know. Let me introduce this witch who's joined us."  
Next to him, there was a young witch with a bubblegum pink hair and twinkling dark eyes.  
"This is Nymphadora—"  
"How many times do I need to say? Don't call me Nymphadora—"  
"Oh, sorry, Tonks. This is Nymphadora Tonks—"  
"Please call me just Tonks. I'm Tonks... Well, I've seen you somewhere before—"  
"She's at Auror Office too!" Mad-Eye butted in.  
But her name reminded her of an old memory. _Not at the Ministry_—she was sure she'd actually met her before.  
"Y—yes! I'm so s—sorry."  
"Don't mind," Arielle smiled. "Just call me Arielle."  
Tonks was staggered to see a Senior Auror. In the other side, there was Emmeline Vance, and next to her, there were Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones and Sturgis Podmore. Arielle knew them well. She shook hands with all of them and drained the last glass of whiskey.  
"Oh, Arielle, you do drink quite a lot!" Emmeline chaffed to see her drink much.  
"Then—we don't need to stay here long. Let's go—eh? Who gives an arm?" said Mad-Eye.  
"A—are we going now? And—what d'you mean—'give an arm'?" Arielle asked him with a blank look.  
"We need to take you there by Side-Along Apparition," Mad-Eye went out the pub, and others followed him. "I know you can Apparate well, though. But you're going to where you don't know—the risk of Splinching. We'd like to take no risks, Arielle."  
His answer was perfect. Remus shut the door from behind. Nobody stepped towards Arielle to lend an arm; they were giggling exchanging glances.  
"Arielle, hold onto my arm—and then we won't have future trouble, eh? Guess if Remus's—we have no moment to mediate."  
"Mad-Eye, you've said such a joke before?"  
Tonks said behind Arielle. Everyone except Arielle laughed; she couldn't understand what he meant. As Mad-Eye told, she held his arm tightly.

"C'mon! Let's be off!"


	6. Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place

Several hours before Arielle stepped in the Hog's Head, Sirius finished lunch, got up slowly his seat. He went upstairs and opened the door of bathroom. Though he didn't noticed, Remus found him going out of the kitchen and walked after him. Leaving the door open, he faced to the mirror of a gaudily decorated washstand which was now covered with a decade of dust.  
"Lumos," he took out his wand and put it by the snake-shaped tap. His face got lit from below, which made the shadows on it much clearer. He heaved a deep sigh. And, then, he saw the figure of a man in the mirror.  
"What's wrong? She's coming, why so gloomy?" asked Remus cheerfully.  
"Ah... I got so wasted, didn't I?" Sirius heaved one more sigh.  
"I'm sure she won't care," Remus tapped him on his shoulder to cheer him up. "But make sure you brush your teeth if you want to kiss her," Remus said, and had a fit of giggles. On the previous night he'd given Sirius a tube of _Snow-White Toothpaste_ he'd got at Diagon Alley. Sirius grinned and flashed his white teeth.  
"They've got white as though replaced all," Sirius looked into the mirror. "But I still remember what she said—when I asked her why she liked me," said Sirius quietly, a bit disappointedly too. "Not once. I asked her_ many_ times—and she'd often answered mischievously—''Cause you're 'handsome', Sirius.'"  
Remus raised his eyebrows. "D—did you really take at word, Sirius?"  
"Her answer was always same—no matter how many times I asked," said Sirius quite seriously. "I know she was joking—but—I've just remembered—so—"  
Remus flashed a smile. "I know, Sirius, she let out to me—when she was in St Mungo's." Sirius's face clouded just for a moment, to hear the word 'St Mungo's.' "Interesting, very, very interesting."  
"To_ you_?" Sirius looked away from the mirror, and gazed at Remus's eyes as though checking whether he was lying. "Then what did she say?"  
"Ask her," Remus was enjoying his reaction. "But I'll bet she won't tell you... But don't worry, Sirius. Arielle truly loves you."

Ten minutes to six in evening, Arielle and Mad-Eye Apparated on a poorly kept grass. It was in the middle of a small square in a shady street. She looked around the street. Broken windows, streetlights glimmering dully, and paint peeling from doors—the surrounding houses were far from welcoming her. She wrinkled her eyebrows and asked to Mad-Eye.  
"Where're we? What a gloomy—"  
"Quiet," whispered Mad-Eye, feeling about the pocket. She decided to say nothing until he talked to her.  
"No, no... Got it." He rummaged in the pocket of his cloak and raised something like a silver cigarette lighter; Arielle knew what it was. He clicked Dumbledore's Put-Outer to extinguish all the streetlight and again put it to the pocket. Then they heard loud cracks behind; the other member of the Order had just Apparated.  
"Hurry, Arielle," said Mad-Eye, walking towards somewhere. Arielle and the others just followed him. As they reached on a pavement outside of number eleven, Mad-Eye again took out something from the pocket and passed it to her. It was a note on a small piece of parchment; she'd seen the narrow handwriting before, also, heard of the street's name.

_The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London_.

"Memorise?" grunted Mad-Eye.  
"I did," whispered Arielle.  
"Burn it!"  
Arielle pulled out her wand from the pocket of her robe and burned the parchment. She saw again the houses they were facing. In the left of number eleven, there was number ten; in the right, number thirteen.  
"Think about it," said Remus behind her.  
_Number twelve, Grimmauld Place_—as she thought about it, number twelve emerged between number eleven and number thirteen, pushing them to either side. It was a house with dirty walls and grimy windows and looked deserted for decades. Arielle and Mad-Eye walked up the worn stone steps and others followed them behind. Arielle saw the entrance door whose paint was terribly scratched as those of other houses in Grimmauld Place. It had neither a keyhole nor doorknob; only a silver doorknocker in the form of a twisted serpent.

She got startled to see its form; she did hate snakes or serpents even though her mother and eldest sister were Slytherins. That was why she strongly asked the Sorting Hat not to sort herself to Slytherin; the Sorting Hat just replied her and announced loudly: 'Nonsense to sort you into Slytherin... GRYFFINDOR!"

"Tap it with your wand," whispered Mad-Eye next to her. She raised her wand and tapped the door once. After many metallic clicks and clatters, the door cracked open.  
It was an almost total darkness. She smelled dusty and rotten. She looked around with a light on the end of her wand, and found it an entrance hall and lamps along the walls. As she traced and aimed her wand at all the lamps, the hall got dimly lighted.  
"Don't forget to keep your voice down here, Arielle."  
"Why?" She thought it should be a kind of miracle if she could burst out laughing in the dark, gloomy hall.  
"Because the portraits are_ never_ friendly to us," said Remus quietly. "Not to wake anything up."  
Others were stepping in the hall; Mad-Eye releasing the balls of lights Put-Outer had stolen on the top step.  
She looked around the hall again from top to bottom; she got choked for a moment to see both chandelier and candelabra shaped like serpents. The portraits were hung crooked, and she heard something like spiders scurrying behind them.  
"Everyone's waiting for you in the kitchen, downstairs, Arielle." Tonks whispered to Arielle, going ahead of her.  
"He's there too," said Remus. "He's been fidgety since he knew you're coming."  
Arielle knew whom they mentioned. She'd never seen his face for fourteen years, since he'd sent to Azkaban. _What will he say to see me?_—she thought. _He'd often given me a big hug and kiss instead of saying "I'm home." —  
_The seven members of the Order quietly walked through the hall. Remus was at the head of the line; Tonks and Arielle followed him next, the other three did behind them and Mad-Eye at the rear. Passing the row of house-elf heads on the wall, she thought they made the house even more eerie. Remus opened the door to downstairs at the very end of the entrance hallway.

CRASH—Tonks tripped over something, and Arielle also did and fell over Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. Not expecting at all she'd fall, Arielle lay prostrated; she terribly bumped her head onto the floor. Her wand tumbled on the dusty, mould carpet.  
"Ouch!"  
Something like an umbrella stand fell onto Arielle's ankle.  
"I'm sorry!" said Tonks, looking at Arielle lying and suffering. "That's the third time I've tripped over this umbrella stand...!" Tonks flicked her wand and removed it.  
It was the moment Tonks gave her hand to Arielle that a horrible, ear-splitting scream echoed through the whole hallway, which froze her blood.  
The moth-eaten velvet curtains they'd passed a little while before drawn apart. She put her hand onto her aching head sitting up on the floor, and looked at the portrait between the opened curtains in the dim light.  
She felt it as though she was the ugliest woman in the world; the old woman in the portrait was screaming and screaming showing the white of her eyes. Her yellowish skin was drawn with anger. Arielle was paralysed with terror covering her ears.  
The others gave up tagging the curtains; they were stunning other portraits that had woken up her scream.

_"Filth! One more scum! Abomination! Mutant! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers? I do know you, Arielle Mane! The last living Mane, range of blood traitors! Go away! Sharing a great-great-great-great grandmother? Shame of my flesh!"_

The old woman's words upset her completely. She couldn't take eyes off with her lips trembling. She remembered people's doubts, looks, and roars towards her fourteen years ago.

_"Yes, yes, see, Witch Weekly says Arielle Mane was the murderer's fiancée!"  
__"Arielle Mane seemed to have a cousin who was a Death Eater! She was one too?"_

_I—never—yield—to—the—dark—side—_Arielle's eyes were brimming with tears.

Suddenly, a man with long black hair appeared.  
"Shut up, you horrible old hag!" he roared, grasping the curtain. "SHUT UP!"  
_"Yooooooooou! Blood traitor! Abomination! A mutant, no eyes for women—"_ she howled.  
"I said SHUT UP! Where can we find a scum like you? Eh? Arielle's can't compare with you! She's much far better than you! I'm so proud of her from the bottom of my heart!"  
He roared like a dog. Arielle burst into tears, crawled and pulled his robe.  
"Sorry, sorry..., sir..."  
She was overwhelmingly pained, grieved, and lonesome. She felt embarrassed to sob in public. She crouched down by the wall.  
"Remus, please!"  
"Yeah."  
The man and Remus tagged the curtain to shut up with their all might.  
"Hey, Arielle."  
She just shook her neck.  
"Don't care what the hag said," he squatted next to her and tapped her shoulders. But she didn't nod her head—she hadn't realised yet—  
"All right, Arielle."  
The man picked up her wand and had her hold it. As he looked behind, the members of the Order who brought her were all smiling to him. He also smiled to them showing his gratitude on his face.  
"Everyone's waiting for you, Arielle. Molly is eager in cooking... to welcome you. Nobody hurts you here. She's just a portrait and dead."  
He rubbed her back, and again looked back and winked at Remus.  
"Your hands are not to wipe tears. Here you are."  
"T—thank you."  
He lent his handkerchief to her. She held it to her tearful face. Her tears soaked into it; she smelled something she'd ever smelled before.  
The blurred figure got clear. She'd seen the design before, too. And she saw his figure come in front of her.  
"Don't you remember—my voice, warmth air or smell? Or the wonderful, first present from you? I've always carried this since you gave it to me... my love?"

The word he added made her pull herself together.  
_My love?_—there's only one who could say the words to her.  
She looked up at last; she saw the pin of a four-leaf clover on his lapel.

"S—Sirius?"  
"Arielle!"

Time froze. His grey eyes caught her deep-blue eyes.  
The man—Sirius lifted up Arielle and held her tightly as though her rubs got broken. She shed tears again, but they were tears of joy.  
People gathered at the hall now; Remus and Tonks were clapping hands, so did others. Mad-Eye was just nodding, murmuring "Good, good..." Fred and George were whistling; Harry, Ron and Arthur were all smiles. Ginny, Hermione and Molly were even having tears on their eyes.  
"Sirius... Sirius!"  
"I'm sorry, Arielle. I gave you trouble... I can never apologise you enough. And I'm so relieved—to see you're alive..."  
"I'm... so happy... to meet you... again..."  
He kissed Arielle in his arms, as though showing to the spectators.

It was the first kiss for fourteen years, which was the sweetest and deepest he'd ever given to her.


End file.
